So I went back to that same woodland today to see if I could find any more wood blewits to add to my recipe.
But unfortunately, something or someone got to it before me.
Luckily, I still had some dried cremini and honey mushrooms that I foraged last autumn, along with the blewits I froze last week, so it's all ok.
The woodland itself was very beautiful and bursting with life.
Every time I step into it, something new is growing and blooming, and it looks different each visit. I ended up spending a good couple of hours pottering about.
I spotted a few of the usual mushrooms.
One is this: the pleated inkcap. You can see them sprouting in places, but not anything new.
So I headed home and decided to cook a comforting chickpea and wild mushroom curry instead.
I had soaked the chickpeas earlier and then pressure-cooked them for about 20 minutes until they became creamy and soft, while still holding their shape, not mushy.
and had my two frozen precious wood blewits from last week's fungi hunt , defrosting.
To preserve the colour, sauté lightly, then freeze.
I have also included a foraged white dead nettle, which is much more delicious than spinach. I include the stalks and flowers, as they are tender and nutritious.
So here it is...
🍄 Chickpea & Wild Mushroom Curry
🧺 Ingredients
4 cups cooked Chickpeas
1 small handful dried honey mushrooms and 1 cup mushroom soaking water
A handful of white dead nettle (nicer texture and flavour than stinging nettle) or spinach as an alternative.
1 large onion, sliced or chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb ginger, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
½ tsp turmeric
Dried Chillies or chilli powder (if preferred hot)
Black pepper
2 tomatoes (or 1 tbsp tomato paste)
300 ml coconut milk (or cream)
Ghee or oil
Salt
Lemon juice (to finish)
Coriander leaves to garnish
🍛Tempering (optional)
A couple of mushrooms
Whole dried chillies
Cumin seeds
Crushed garlic clove
Mustard seeds
Ghee or butter
Soak dried honey mushrooms in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes
Strain and save the liquid (optional but good for flavour)
Chop larger pieces if needed
Heat ghee/oil in a pan and cook the onion slowly until soft/golden
Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 to 2 minutes
Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli, and black pepper
Stir until fragrant.
Add rehydrated honey mushrooms
Sauté 10 to 15 minutes
Let them release moisture and lightly brown
Add tomatoes (or paste), cook until soft and thick and add cooked chickpeas.
Add the Green vegetables
Add a splash of mushroom-soaking liquid to deglaze
Simmer 10 to 15 minutes
Stir in coconut milk or cream
Simmer 5 minutes. Add salt to taste
Finish with lemon juice and black pepper.
Make the temper: heat the ghee and the spices and a couple of mushrooms and let them fry until aromatic but not burnt.
Spoon the temper over the top. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.
Can be served with Rice, flatbread, or thick, crusty bread
This was really tasty and rich. I like the texture of the wood blewit, meaty and really mushroomy, and I also discovered that the dried honey mushroom is not slimy in dishes with sauce. Normally, they are too slimy when cooked fresh, and the flavours are definitely richer when dried.
And ahh, the whole kitchen smelled amazing, and the walk in the woods was peaceful. Sometimes the mushroom hunting doesn’t go to plan, but the day always turns out nice.
Shared for #fungifriday by
Have a lovely day.
Mariah 💜